KUCHING: Sarawak aims to position itself as a premier golf tourism destination to attract more tourists to the state.
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting said there are seven golf clubs with nine 18-hole golf courses in Sarawak, which will be the main tourism products this year.
Sarawak Golf Tourism Association (SGTA) and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), he said, would be playing a key role in extensively promoting Sarawak as the best golfing destination.
“We have many golf packages which combine golf with other tourism activities like nature adventure, hiking, caves among others.
“We are offering tourists to experience new challenges and styles of golf courses, while also enjoying a fun trip to some new destinations in the state,” he said.
Ting was speaking at the Sarawak Tourism Campaign Launching for ‘Sarawak Best Golf Destination’ and Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) Korean Booklet at the 38th Seoul International Travel Fair 2023 (SITF 2023) in Seoul, Korea yesterday (May 4).
He said this was the first time Sarawak had its own ‘The Sarawak Pavilion’ with emphasis on Beyond Tourism in Sarawak, including Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H), Golf Tourism, Edu tourism, and Health Tourism.
Sarawak, he said, started to adopt the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme in 2007, while his ministry is the responsible government agency for S-MM2H.
“The establishment of a one-stop panel is to have its own authority to approve S-MM2H applications.
“This will ensure that all applications are processed and approved promptly and efficiently,” he said, adding that the programme is open to citizens of all countries that have diplomatic relations with Malaysia.
Based on the statistics of S-MM2H participants by country, Ting said, most participants are from Commonwealth countries.
He said the majority of the participants are also from the eastern Asia region who find the ease to adapt to life in Sarawak and assimilate with the community that have similar roots and culture.
Ting also unveiled the ‘Sarawak Best Golf Destination’ video, brochure and golf packages, and the Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) Korean booklet at the event.
The bilingual English/Korean version of Golf Promotion Brochure together with QR CODE can be downloaded at www.sarawakgolftourism.com; while the Korea version of the S-MM2H application guide can be downloaded from the ministry’s website: mtcp.sarawak.gov.my
